Samsung wants to open up its own premium customer service centers and has partnered with WeWork to make that happen. The details as to what exactly will be included at the aptly dubbed “care centers” remain a bit fuzzy since the companies are still very much in the testing phases. However, the partnership has reportedly been ongoing for around a year already. The general idea seems to center around providing Samsung customers with a place to get customer service while still being able to get work done, using WeWork locations and services as the foundation. At least one pilot program has already been run in Austin, revealing some flaws with the original concept – Samsung’s initial efforts centered around offering VR for waiting customers, which users quickly grew bored with.
Samsung has now shifted focus to building out its own spaces within WeWork locations, with three new locations opening up in Detroit, Miami, and Williamsburg New York this month. Customers visiting the new care centers will be able to use WeWork’s spaces while they wait and Samsung has been updating portions of that space to provide a more premium feel and environment. For those who don’t already know, WeWork is a shared workspace provider based out of New York. The company was founded back in 2010 and for a subscription, provides those who need somewhere to work with access to high-speed internet, conference rooms, printers, dedicated desks and storage space, and private offices for use. The service also provides amenities for members, such as pool tables, which vary from location to location. Samsung’s own flair has been added, of course, to portions of the WeWork facilities. That’s said to include black glass and steel boxes which are effectively rooms for the company’s customers to lounge in and feature Samsung workstations and tables. The rest of the space lines up with the aesthetics WeWork already has in place, but the phone booths found at the test locations have been retrofitted with better quality furnishings and Samsung video conferencing technologies for a more comfortable, modern experience.
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee many of Samsung’s customers will get a chance to try out most of the services and spaces on offer, at least at first. That’s because the centers are currently only rated at tier one. That means customers can get help with using their devices or get a device sent in for repair by Samsung certified helpers, but there’s no way to get a device actually repaired yet. Tier two is planned for the future, allowing for a screen or hard drive repairs provided on-site. There’s also the possibility of more repairs being offered in the future if all goes as planned. Ultimately, there’s no guarantee at all that the centers will become widespread but, if everything goes smoothly and feedback is good, the partnership could be hugely beneficial to both Samsung and WeWork. The latter company already has 235 locations opened and more will be added in the future. That gives Samsung a lot of potential for growing its number of care centers rapidly and both businesses will be able to promote each other. Meanwhile, customers would benefit from a genuinely useful space when they need repairs or service.